'Who?' LaVar Ball dismisses Trump's role in son's release

The father of one of the UCLA basketball players arrested on suspicion of shoplifting while on tour in China isn't praising President Donald Trump for his involvement in their release.

When asked by ESPN what role the president played in brokering his son's freedom, LaVar Ball — a former basketball player himself and star on the Facebook reality series "Ball in the Family" — responded with his own questions.

"Who? What was he over there for? Don't tell me nothing," Ball said. "Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out."

Freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were detained in Hangzhou, about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai, on shoplifting charges last week — a day before Trump arrived in China on a leg of his Asia tour.

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said the players had stolen items from three stores when students were given 90 minutes of free time to explore the city and relax.